Principal Systems Engineer

Principal Systems Engineer
Founding systems engineering appointment · Advanced engineering manufacturer

Location: Hertfordshire (on-site, with UK travel; occasional international travel)
Salary: £65,000–£80,000 DOE
Type: Full-time, permanent

About the Company
We are supporting long-established UK defence optics engineering manufacturer is developing new products used in demanding environments. To support this programme, the company is creating a Principal Systems Engineer role — the first dedicated systems engineering appointment within the UK operation.

The Opportunity
This is a senior technical authority position with genuine ownership of a complete product development programme. The successful candidate will report directly to the Managing Director and will establish proportionate systems engineering practices within the business.
The role focuses on complex physical systems: precision mechanical integration, inertial sensing, electronics, and multi-disciplinary system behaviour. Software development is carried out by specialist partners and by engineering teams elsewhere in the group.

Key Responsibilities

• System architecture ownership — define and manage system requirements and the overall technical architecture.
• Design Authority leadership — act as the programme’s senior technical decision-maker.
• Technical integration — lead decisions across sensing, orientation, electronics and precision mechanical interfaces.
• Repeatability challenge
• Partner management — direct specialist UK development partners.
• Group engineering interface — manage the technical relationship with engineering teams in the wider group.
• System Integration & qualification
• User engagement — work directly with customer technical teams and end-users.
• Process development — establish systems engineering processes and build a small supporting capability over time.

Candidate Profile
We welcome applications from:

• Established Principal Systems Engineers, or
• Exceptional Senior/Lead Systems Engineers ready for their first principal-level technical authority role.

Relevant backgrounds may include:

• Defence and weapon Systems
• Precision mechanical design
• electro-mechanical systems
• electro-optics or precision sensing
• inertial sensing, navigation or PNT
• MEMS-based instrumentation

• robotics, autonomous systems or aerospace platforms
• other advanced engineering sectors involving complex physical integration

Candidates should have experience in:

• Precision mechanical design and inertial sensing
• Owning system requirements and architecture
• Managing multi-disciplinary engineering challenges
• Technically directing subcontractors or development partners
• Integration, verification and qualification (including environmental/EMC standards)
• Working across mechanical, electronic and software interfaces
• Making senior engineering decisions with limited supervision

Why This Role Stands Out

• Genuine technical ownership of a full product development programme
• Direct access to the Managing Director and board
• Influence over design direction and product strategy
• Responsibility for guiding specialist engineering partners
• Opportunity to build the systems engineering capability from the ground up
• Strong support from established engineering teams within the wider group

Electus Recruitment Solutions provides specialist engineering and technical recruitment solutions to high-technology industries.

We thank you for your interest in this vacancy. If you don’t hear from us within 7 working days, please presume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. You are of course free to resubmit your CV/details in the future, and we shall assess your suitability at that time.